RISMedia's Real Estate Magazine

AUG 2018

Real Estate magazine is the industry's leading source for real estate news and information since 1980. Published monthly by RISMedia, Real Estate magazine offers timely and relevant real estate news to the industry's top brokers and agents.

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72 August 2018 RISMedia's REAL ESTATE
{Power Teams}
It's Okay to
Borrow Influence
From Others
by Cleve Gaddis
T
he most successful real estate
agents in the future will be the ones
who provide the most benefit to their
clients. The ones who are experts in all
things real estate. The ones who can
answer, with confidence, just about
any question a client might ask and
become a trusted advisor and valu-
able resource in the process. Here's
the problem, though: For most of us,
it's impossible to know everything and
to have answers ready for every single
question that might be asked. This is
where your personal connections and
your vendor list come into play.
If you want to become a real
"influencer" in your market,
buyers and sellers must
consider you the local expert.
Even if you don't have the ability
to give all the right answers or to
provide the appropriate guidance
yourself, you need to be able to
find the answer—or provide anoth-
er resource that can.
Here are five things you must do
to become your market's most in-
fluential agent:
1. TELL PEOPLE YOU'RE A MARKET
EXPERT. Tell everyone you know
that you want to be a resource for
them, and offer your services when-
ever possible. This extends beyond
simply helping them buy or sell a
house. You should offer to help
with property tax questions, mort-
gage information, home inspection
questions, estate or probate ques-
tions, and more.
2. HAPPILY FIND THE ANSWERS.
It's easier to tell everyone that
you're a market expert than to ac-
tually be one. It takes time to do
the research or to find a vendor
or other resource to answer ev-
ery single question someone
asks. You'll very likely want
to quit searching before
finding answers, but don't
ever stop, because once
you find the answer to a
question the first time, you'll
be able to answer the same ques-
tion with confidence every time in
the future.
3. FOLLOW UP. Make sure you fol-
low up with the person who asked
the question and provide a clear
and concise answer. Additionally,
follow up a few weeks later to see
if the information you provided
was helpful, and to see if they
need anything else.
4. CREATE A VENDOR/RESOURCE
LIST. Keep accurate and up-to-date
records of the vendors and other
resources you rely on to help you
answer questions. This will allow
you to easily reach out again when
the need arises next. Make a habit
of adding to your list every time
you meet someone who can help
you in the future.
5. READ, LISTEN AND WATCH. Keep-
ing up with current trends in real
estate requires an investment of
time. Read all trade publications,
listen to informative podcasts and
watch instructional videos. And re-
ally pay attention. Think about how
you can use whatever information
you're learning to help your clients
and position yourself as an even
more valuable resource in your
market.
I'm happy to share a sample of
the spreadsheet we use to keep
up with vendors and other people
we rely on as resources. Email me
at Cleve@GoGaddis.com if you'd
like a copy.
Once you have a copy of the
spreadsheet, you'll have to com-
mit to updating it regularly (at least
once a month). Stick with this plan
for a year or so, and you'll become
the most influential agent in your
market, and everyone will rely on
you for answers to their most im-
portant real estate questions. As
more people rely on you as their
go-to resource, they'll also turn to